Ethylene carbon monoxide copolymers containing epoxy side groups

Claim 1

Curable blends comprising by weight 1 to 99 percent of a free radical polymerized copolymer consisting essentially of, by weight (a) 40 to 90 percent ethylene; (b) 0 to 20 percent carbon monoxide; (c) 5 to 40 percent of a monomer copolymerizable therewith to provide flexible polymers, said monomer taken from the class consisting of unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, esters of said unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids, vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic acids where the acid group has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, vinyl alkyl ethers where the alkyl group has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, alpha-olefins of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, norbornene and vinyl aromatic compounds, and (d) 0.2 to 15 percent of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer of 4 to 21 carbon atoms containing an epoxy group; and 1 to 99 percent of an organic thermosetting resin with which said copolymer is only functionally compatible, said resin being selected from the group consisting of phenolic resins, epoxy resins, and melamine formaldehyde resins.

Claim 38

A method for producing a molded article which comprises (1) dispersing 5 to 95 percent by weight of a free radical polymerized ethylene copolymer consisting essentially of, by weight (a) 40 to 90 percent ethylene; (b) 0 to 20 percent carbon monoxide; (c) 5 to 40 percent of a monomer copolymerizable therewith to provide flexible polymers, said monomer taken from the class consisting of unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, esters of said unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids, vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic acids where the acid group has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, vinyl alkyl ethers where the alkyl group has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, acrylonitrile, methacrylontrile, alphaolefins of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, norbornene, and vinyl aromatic compounds; and (d) 0.2 to 15 percent of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer of 4 to 21 carbon atoms containing an epoxy group, and 5 to 95 percent by weight of a thermosetting resin with which said copolymer is only functionally compatible, said resin being selected from the group consisting of phenolic resins, epoxy resins, and melamine formaldehyde resins, (2) molding said blend; and (3) maintaining said molded blend at an elevated temperature until a crosslinked resin is formed, said ethylene copolymer remaining substantially dispersed in the cured thermosetting resin.

Claim 39

A method for producing a molded article which comprises (1) dispersing 5 to 95 percent by weight of a free radical polymerized ethylene copolymer consisting essentially of, by weight (a) 40 to 90 percent ethylene; (b) 0 to 20 percent carbon monoxide; (c) 5 to 40 percent of a monomer copolymerizable therewith to provide flexible polymers, said monomer taken from the class consisting of unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, esters of said unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids, vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic acids where the acid group has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, vinyl alkyl ethers where the alkyl group has 1 to 18 carbon atoms, acrylonitrile, methacrylontrile, alphaolefins of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, norbornene, and vinyl aromatic compounds; and (d) 0.2 to 15 percent of an ethylenically unsaturated monomer of 4 to 21 carbon atoms containing an epoxy group, and 5 to 95 percent by weight of a thermosetting resin with which said copolymer is only functionally compatible, said resin being selected from the group consisting of phenolic resins, epoxy resins, and melamine formaldehyde resins, (2) molding said blend; and (3) maintaining said molded blend at an elevated temperature until a crosslinked resin is formed, said ethylene copolymer remaining substantially dispersed in the cured thermosetting resin.